How to Use Your Smartphone to Bridge the Language Gap

Best Smartphone Apps for Getting Around in a Foreign Language

In most large cities around the world, people who work in the tourist industry are likely to speak at least a little English. Nonetheless, mastering a few basics in the language of your destination will earn you goodwill and help you get around. Navigating street signs, reading menus, and understanding product labels can all be tricky in an unfamiliar language. Your smartphone is the perfect tool for helping you learn a language, as well as finding words and phrases you don't know.
Learn before you go:
"Hello," "goodbye," "thank you," "please," and "pardon me" are good manners in any language, and not too difficult for most of us to learn. If you want to aim a bit higher, try Duolingo. Duolingo is a free, online language education program with lessons available in French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, and English. Use in on your desktop computer, or install the app on your smartphone and tablet. Your account is accessible from all platforms (including Kindle Fire HD!), and automatically keeps track of your progress.
I used Duolingo to brush up my high school French before a recent trip to Paris. Individual lessons are short - most took me about 10-20 minutes - and require you to read, write, listen, and speak in the language you're working on. I did not make use of the social media component, but that could be a fun way to connect with others learning the same language.

Look it up:
Get a dictionary that will let you look up translations in English or the language of the country you're visiting. For our trip to France, I chose the French/English dictionary for iPhone by Ascendo. The basic version is free, and sufficient for most needs. I ended up upgrading to the paid version, as it was helpful with my Duolingo French lessons.
A good dictionary will provide pronunciation recordings for words, as well as showing how a word is used in sentences. With the paid version of Ascendo dictionaries, you can add your own notes or a recorded clip to practice pronunciation of any word. There's also a list of helpful phrases organized into categories like "Food & Drink," or "Flirting." You can even record your own phrases to help you remember whatever you want to say.
Another great addition to your smartphone's travel resources is a food guide in e-book form. For example, I have a pair of e-books on names of French food and menu items. I downloaded these books to my iPhone for easy access with my Kindle app. They proved invaluable for checking before I ordered. I like to think I'm a fairly adventuresome eater, but I'm pretty sure I would not have enjoyed the "sabardin," which turns out to be, "highly seasoned offal cooked in white wine, encased in pig's caul."

A picture is worth a thousand words:
Your phone's camera can do much more than snap selfies in front of the Eiffel Tower. For example, a recent "Lifehacker" article recommended taking a photo of your suitcase. Imagine trying describe your bag to a non-English speaking attendant at the lost-luggage desk. Now imagine showing them a photo of your bag. By extension, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have photos of the other members of your party, and of the place you're staying in case you get lost.
So, download a few helpful apps, practice your basic greetings and phrases, and have a wonderful time!

Culled from Yahoo.com